Fletcher quits GOP: ‘You deserve better’

Hours before a highly anticipated LGBT mayoral forum at The Center, sponsored by San Diego Democrats for Equality, Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher announced that he has decided to leave the Republican Party and will become an independent. Fletcher said that he has struggled with the decision but came to it in an effort to do “what was right for the city.”

Fletcher rebukes Councilman Carl DeMaio for his comment that he wants to make San Diego the “Wisconsin of the West.” Fletcher contends that “Wisconsin is defined by gridlock. We deserve better.” He also accuses Congressman Bob Filner of being “one of the most partisan members of Congress. Who tells you the only reason you should vote for him is simply because of his party affiliation. You deserve better.”

Fletcher in recent weeks was assailed by the DeMaio campaign for his votes against his party in support of LGBT issues like teaching LGBT history in schools and issuing driver’s licenses to transgender Californians that reflect their new gender. The DeMaio campaign labeled Fletcher the “most liberal Republican.”

Fletcher ends with “I will be an independent mayor that will get things done. I hope you will join me.”